From Lovely Lady S’s Perspective

I’m not a real girly girl. Most days I’m lucky if I put on some mascara and brush my hair! So the idea of getting all dolled up for a photo shoot was totally out of my comfort zone. I’ve always been interested in empowering glamour pictures, but I guess I never saw myself doing one…

When I stumbled across LGEmerick Photography and saw all the pictures of women who weren’t all model skinny teenagers I was intrigued. I saw women that looked like me smiling and feeling beautiful. I wanted that for me!

I filled out the contact form and received a message with all the details. After reviewing all that Leah had to offer I was thrilled… and nervous! I’d always heard that shoots like this could be expensive, but after emailing back and forth with Leah I learned all about her flexible payment plan options. That put my mind at ease for sure.

On top of that she told me that her studio already had dozens of dresses in my size that I could wear if I didn’t have anything in my closet that worked. She also sent me some really helpful prep guides that got my mind turning with options of what to bring. It was like she was thinking for me… in the best way! Like it was totally planned and all I had to do was show up!

When I did show up - I was so nervous. But Leah met me at the door with a big smile and a huge hug. Instantly the nerves fell away! Her space is so cozy and customizable. They even had my name up on a letter board welcoming me. It made me feel special right away.

The hair and makeup were so great. The artist listened to my concerns and preferences before getting to work. I’m pretty clueless about makeup (not a girly girl, remember? lol) but she didn’t make me feel that way. She asked great questions and when I saw myself at the end I was wowed! I looked SOOOOO GOOD!!!

As for the photo shoot… it was amazing!! I thought for sure I would be awkward and stiff, but Leah really knows how to work with you and get you comfortable in front of her camera. She compliments you non-stop and makes tons of little adjustments as she goes to get lots of great options! The only hard part was picking what photos I wanted at the end!!

If you are like me and don’t take much time for yourself… or maybe don’t always love how you look in the mirror… you need to do this! I had no idea how amazing I could look in pictures until Leah showed me. She’ll do the same thing for you!!

From the Photographer’s Perspective…

From the first moment I talked to Lovely Lady S I could tell she was a no-nonsense, absolutely fearless type of woman. That being said, I could tell the idea of being photographed made her uneasy. She wasn’t sure I could make her look like the girls on my pages and unlocked her natural beauty. So, of course, I had to prove her wrong!

We emailed back and forth a bit before she committed to her date and time. She had concerns about things like…

• Affording the collection she wanted (she went with our AfterPay option so she could split up the payment!)

• What in the heck she should wear (I sent her all my packing guides, shopping lists, and pictures of dress options we have in studio in her size)

• How exactly hair and makeup worked (she wasn’t a big makeup girl so she wanted guidance)

These questions are all so common. I feel like most ladies that I talk to have them! And at their heart all I hear is: Am I beautiful? Can you show me I am beautiful? What if you can’t?

So they get me totally fired up! I was so ready for her shoot to come so I could answer all those questions with photographic evidence!!

When the big day came I was so stoked to see her coming up to my studio door. Her arms were full of options she grabbed from her closet. She had dresses, sparkly shirts, denim skirts, two fur coats… I was in heaven! We didn’t even need my client collection. She had so many beautiful pieces all on her own with their own special places in her heart (more on that later).

I took her things, gave her a big hug, and introduced her to our hair and makeup artist. She took a bathroom break before plopping down in the hair and makeup chair. Then while my HMUA got to work on styling her hair, I started sorting through the pieces she brought in….

Sorting through Lovely Lady S’s wardrobe options was unbelievably fun. She had so many great options! I oooooh and aaaaaaah over them while chatting with her in the hair and makeup chair. We finally settled on a super cute Chiefs look (a sequin KC shirt with a great denim skirt and gold sneakers), a boho look (her beautiful blue gown with gold boots), and a full glam getup (a dress she had bought for her son’s wedding but didn’t end up wearing and her mother’s fur coat). We were really getting the best of every part of her!

Once hair and makeup wrapped up I could tell that Lovely Lady S was feeling MUCH more ready to go. She loved the way she looked in the mirror and felt VERY girly already! With the beautiful waves in her silver hair and glowing skin… it was impossible to feel anything but radiant!

When we started the shoot we opted to start with her sporty Chiefs look to ease into everything. She said that was the outfit she would be most likely to wear so I figured that would be the most comfortable place to start. I styled it with some of her own jewelry so it would all feel familiar and fun!

Our next stop was in a gorgeous bohemian styled dress with swirling patterns. It was mesmerizing on her and really brought out her eyes. The second she put it on I could sense that it awakened something feminine in her! She kept swirling the skirt around and smiling. I styled it with a matching Kendra Scott earring and necklace set from our client jewelry collection to bring out that fancy free spirit. That with the metallic booties she brought in it was a perfect outfit to capture her free-spirited side!

Our final outfit was something truly special. The silver gown was a piece she purchased for her son’s wedding, but didn’t end up wearing (not because anything bad - she just found a different dress!). That was a shame because it was stunning! I knew it deserved its time to shine. That paired with the fur coat she inherited from her mother (the only ethical way to source fur, IMO) she was transformed into an old school Hollywood starlet from the silver screen! Seriously I felt like Katharine Hepburn had just stepped into my studio! We blinged her out with some of my favorite chandalier earrings, diamond bracelets, and stunning necklace.

The entire time we laughed and chatted like old friends. I loved getting to know more about her life, her family, her dogs, and what makes her happy. She’s live a super interesting life that has taken her all over the world (her dad worked for the TWA) so if you ever get the chance to ask her about falling down on the streets of London… do it!

The time flew by, of course, and before we knew it we had over a hundred amazing photos! At that point I had her change into her street clothes and I loaded all of her photos onto my computer to show. Once she was changed and comfy, I projected her photos (unedited) up onto a big screen TV for her to review. She was gobsmacked!

“I don’t think that’s me! That’s can’t be me!” She said and laughed. But she knew it was!

All the photos on the screen, the beautiful, girly, drop-dead-gorgeous photos were her! 100% her. 100% raw. 100% perfect!

It is always my greatest joy to show each lovely lady that comes to my studio just how lovely they truly are: inside and out. That is TOTALLY what happened here!!

Lovely Lady S picked out thirty of her favorite photos to go into a beautiful heirloom album plus a piece of bedside art of her favorite photo so she can remember every day when she wakes up how stunning she truly is. I cannot wait for another photo shoot with this stunning creature!